Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

I woke to the stench of damp earth and ammonia. My eyes were blurry, and I wondered if I had a concussion. Groaning, I tried to push myself up as every muscle in my body protested. Where the hell was I?

It took a moment for my eyes to focus in the dim light, but when they did and I spotted the bars of my cell, I wished I'd stayed unconscious. It wasn't a regular cinderblock cell, the kind one would find at the Premonition Pointe Police department. This was different. The prison had been built below ground, with the cells carved out of the earth. Everywhere I looked was damp dirt. The floor, the walls, the ceiling. Everything except the bars locking me in.

"Marion," a cheerful voice called.

I looked past my cell door and spotted a familiar woman with long blond hair and a flowy white dress. "Lacey!" I jumped up, ignoring the pain pounding in my head that normally would have brought me to my knees. "Are you all right? What happened? How did you end up here?"

"Of course I'm all right." She smiled pleasantly at me. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, because you went missing days ago and no one knew where you were?"

"I'm not missing. I'm right here." She opened a small slot in the cell door and slid a tray through with what looked to be some sort of broth, a piece of bread, and a bottle of water.

"What about Cody?" I asked, trying to understand why she seemed so at peace.

"Cody?" She stared past me and then frowned in concentration. "You know, that name sounds familiar, but I just can't place it. Is he a friend of yours?"

An ache formed in my gut. Someone had wiped Cody from her memory. If they'd done that, what else had they done to her? "Lacey, where are we?"

"Oh." She brightened. "We're at the Bee Purple Oasis. Isn't it gorgeous?"

I glanced around at the dingey earthen walls, the single bulb lights, and most importantly, the bars that were keeping me locked up, and I couldn't say that I agreed. "The Bee Purple Oasis?"

"Oh, you know. It's a nod to the lavender fields and honeybee farm Fiona's granddaddy used to have before Fiona turned it into this." She waved her hand as if she were showing off a master painting instead of a dungeon. "That's why the walls are covered in lavender."

They most definitely were not covered in lavender. Or anything else for that matter. "What has Fiona done to you?"

"Done?" She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean. Fiona is the kindest, most loving mentor a girl could ask for. You'll see."

I stared at her, realizing there was something unnatural about her smile and that her eyes were a little glazed. Was she on something? "Lacey, how long have you been here?"

"Huh?" She frowned, looking confused. "What do you mean?"

"How many days have you been at the Bee Purple Oasis?" I clarified.

"Oh, that's a silly question, isn't it? I've been here my whole life." She grinned and then glided away as if she didn't have a care in the world.

I sat back in my cell, dumbfounded. Someone powerful had glamoured her. Someone more powerful than I was.

"I told you to stay off my land," Fiona said from behind her desk in a wooden cottage that was hidden in the forest behind her farm. Not long after Lacey had left, some of Fiona's goons had come for me. They'd cuffed and shackled me and then tossed me onto a 4-wheeler and taken me to what I assumed was Fiona's office.

"I wouldn't have come if you hadn't abducted Jax and Kai," I countered.

She grinned like the Cheshire cat. "You don't say."

I glared at her. "Was this all an elaborate trap to get me here, locked up in your shitty dungeon?"

"It's an oasis, Marion." Her snide grin made my skin crawl.

"Yeah, I heard. You didn't answer my question."

She shrugged. "You were being a busybody. It's not my fault you fell into the pit. You got what you deserved."

I stared down at my bound wrists, anger eating at me from the inside out. "Is that what Lacey deserved? To be glamoured and held against her will?"

"Lacey came to me looking for a job. I gave her one. Though we did disagree on her start time. I obviously wanted her to start immediately. She wanted to think it over. Jessa and I made the decision for her shortly after that unfortunate flat tire. As far as I'm concerned, it was a win-win."

"Jessa? Kai's ex works for you?" I asked, surprised since she'd seem to hate Kai and the pack so much, though I supposed I shouldn't be. If Jessa was as corrupt as everyone claimed, she would fit right in with Fiona's ilk.

"Delicious, isn't it? I dare say she is loving torturing him right now. It's nice when my employees get to have a little fun.

"You're despicable," I said, stating the obvious. "Let Lacey go. She has a son to raise."

The older woman leaned back in her chair and eyed me. "You must've noticed that Lacey isn't in a cell. That's hardly holding her against her will. In fact, it looks to me like she could walk off this property any time she wants to. But she won't. She's happy here. I've given her a good life."

"Is that what you think? That she wants to be away from her son?" The hatred I felt for this shell of a human in front of me was unfathomable. As if glamouring people wasn't just a prettier way of locking them up.

"Her life was harder when she was raising her son by herself. I've just taken the pressure off."

"You're not going to get away with this. You know that, right?" I challenged. "I won't let you."

She chuckled. "It's always so entertaining to see how the strong ones react." Confidence radiated off her as she added, "You can try, but you won't succeed. Nothing is going to stop our mining operation here, least of all you."

"Mines? What mines?" What the hell had I stepped into?

"Oh, didn't I tell you? There's a gold mine in these mountains. We mine it to make Gold Rush. Since it's a dangerous job, we're always looking to hire. Luckily for me, desperate men and women keep falling right into my lap. Isn't that fortuitous? Hiring is always such a bitch."

Fiona's operation was mining gold and turning it into Gold Rush? Holy fucking hell. No wonder she had her property spelled to hell and back and had been abducting people. Gold Rush was a highly addictive drug that brought on a euphoria that was unmatched by any other magical narcotic. It was notoriously hard to find because it took a powerful witch to turn the gold into the powder. I guessed Fiona was that witch.

Fuck me.

I'd also heard that gold in these mountains was deep and very dangerous to extract due to mud slides and earthquakes the mining caused below ground. The state had shut down any mining of gold in the area years ago due to the increasing dangers to not only human life, but the earth as well. There was no telling how many human lives she'd sacrificed for her greed.

"You don't seem pleased by your new accommodations, Marion," she said, intentionally trying to bait me.

"I won't be here long, so I'm not worried about it," I said, wishing feverishly that looks really could kill. I'd get out one way or another. Help would arrive shortly. I was sure of that. Brix and the coven knew where I was. And if Fiona's people hadn't gotten Charlotte and Trish, they'd be back for me, too.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. You have people that will miss you. Ones who might even have some witchy powers." She flipped through a binder on her desk and appeared to read some notes. "Looks like you're part of a coven. Isn't that cute? I bet they could send a few pesky spells my way, but it won't take much to convince them that you and that wolf of yours ran off to find a peaceful life somewhere else. Then they'll go on with their lives and eventually no one will speak of you ever again."

"Maybe. Maybe not," I said, trying to play it cool. I had to admit that this lady could put the fear of the goddess in someone. If I had to guess, I'd say her soul was as black as midnight. The fact that she hadn't mentioned Brix or the MTF gave me some hope that she didn't know I was a part-time agent. When Brix came for me, that would mean he'd benefit from the element of surprise.

She waved to someone behind me. "Bring her in."

I twisted in my chair and swallowed a gasp when I saw Kylie being manhandled as they shoved her through the door. She was bound and gagged but still put up one hell of a fight. I desperately wanted to help her in any way I could, but since I was shackled and chained to the chair, there wasn't anything I could do.

Staring helplessly, I watched as they brought her over to Fiona.

The older woman looked Kylie up and down and then nodded. "She's young and looks strong. I bet she does well in the mines."

"You can't send her down there!" I cried. "She has a daughter."

Fiona blinked at me and then turned her attention to Kylie. "Pay attention, Marion. You're about to see exactly how I change lives for the better."

I lurched forward as if there was something I could do to stop her, but of course the chair didn't even move an inch.

Fiona's magic sparked at her fingertips as my stomach churned.

Kylie struggled, desperately trying to get out of the guards' hands. But the moment Fiona touched her, she stilled and that vacant look I'd witnessed in Lacey's gaze overtook her.

"There, now isn't that better?" Fiona asked as she patted Kylie's hands. "Go on and find Lacey. You two have much to discuss."

Kylie blinked twice and then stared past Fiona as she said, "Oh, wow. I love lavender. I wish I had it growing on my walls at home, too."

"You will, dear," Fiona said patiently. "Or if you ever get tired of it, let us know. Some people prefer roses, others sunflowers. No request is ever too big when it comes to how you want your cabin decorated. Understand? Now go feed the wolves. They must be nice and hungry by now."

Kylie beamed at her and then let the guards guide her out of the room.

"Jax and Kai? You have them here?" I asked, already knowing the answer. She'd alluded to it earlier, but I wanted a solid confirmation.

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Of course I have them. Again, if those dumbasses would have just left me and mine alone, we wouldn't be in this mess. All I wanted was to be left in peace to run my business. But no, those two were poking around, sticking their noses where they didn't belong. I had enough of it, and now here we are. I have two pet wolves and a witch on my hands. Isn't that fun?"

"Loads of fun," I muttered.

Fiona's phone rang, and when she answered, she said, "Not now, Stone. I'm busy."

Stone. Officer Stone?

"No, you can't come rough her up. But you can come to the ritual tomorrow at sundown. I bet you and Wallis will get a real kick out of it."

She ended the call and looked at me. "He's not a fan of yours."

"Stone and Wallis work for you, too? Is there anyone in this town who's not on your payroll?"

She cackled. "A few have yet to sign up. But yes, Stone and Wallis get profits for cleaning up after idiots like John Vincent and taking care of busybodies like you and your sister. They do very well. Though I do have to say that I'd have ended that John character months ago if he hadn't been related to Stone's woman. I swear, I have no idea why Stone didn't let me put a bullet in his brain, but sometimes you need to keep the staff happy, am I right?"

My head was spinning. It appeared that all roads led back to Fiona and there was nothing I could do about it. At least not yet.

Fiona waved one of her guards in and said, "Take her back to her room. I have work to do." Then she turned to me. "See you tomorrow at sunset. Get your rest. It's going to be epic."

"What's tomorrow at sunset?" I asked, almost not wanting to know.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? You were right about one thing. You definitely won't be here long. Tomorrow evening is when we're burning our least favorite witch."

"Burning the witch?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Her shit-eating grin was back when she answered. "Yes. Just like the Salem Witch trials. I can't wait to see you go up in flames."